Spring-lock.



H. L. PETERS.

SPRING LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.3, I918.

Patented Apr. 8

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN L. PETERS, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK. I

SPRING-LOCK- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN L. Pn'rnns,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements. in Spring-Locks, of which. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of spring locks liai ing safety means for dead-looking the bolt in its projected position to defeat attempts to pick the look, for example by the pressure of a hooked wire. or similar implement against the beveled end of the bolt. The lock is especially desirable for the doors of street and house mail-boxes, but it is also applicable to the doors of various other articles, as well asthe drawers of cabinets, desks and other furniture.

The object of my invention is the improvement of the dead-locking device with a view of simplifying its.construction,,reduoing its cost and rendering it positive and reliable in action.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 a front view of the lock applied to a mail box, a part of the case being broken away and the bolt being shown deadlocked. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the tumblers when, the bolt is retracted by a proper key. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the.

tumblers after the bolt has been retracted by the key and allowed to spring to its projected position. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the bolt. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the auxiliarytumbler. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line 66, Fig. 3.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. x

1 indicates the .door of a mail-box to which the improved lock is applied, and 2 the usual striker-plate'secured tothe jamb.

3 indicates the body of the lock-case and 1 its face-plate having the customary opening for the passage of the beveled springbolt 5. The latter has the usual key-notch 6 and is projected by a spring 7 of any ordinary construction. The bolt is guided by Specification of Iletters Batent.

Patented Apr. 8,1919.

Application filed September 8, 1918. Serial'No.252,290.

preferably lies between the bolt and the adjacent main tumbler 10, but unlike the latter, is free to slide longitudinally on the pivot-pin S as Well as swing thereon, being slotted at 17 for this purpose. It has asp-ring 18, similar to the springs of the main tumblers; a gate 19 and a stop-lug 20' at its free end and a key-notch 21 in its front edge adapted to receive the key-bit 21 The auxiliary tumbler also carries 'a blocking-etud 22 arranged to enter the enlargements 13 of the several main tumblers in the depressed position of the auxiliary tumbler,as shown in Fig. l, and to occupy the gates of the main tumblers and block their forward movement in the'advanced position of the auxiliary tumbler, as shown in Fig. 3. The

" stud of the auxiliary tumbler is of the proper length to engage all of the various tumblers and it is arranged to be encountered by the bolt stud 5 when the bolt is unlocked and withdrawn by the key. The operation of the lock is as follows:

' In the position of the parts'shown in Fig.

'1, the bolt is dead locked by the ends or shoulders of the main and auxiliary tuniblers engaging behind the boltstud 5: The auxiliary tumbler is in its depressed orretracted position and its blocking-stud 22 oocupies the gate-enlargements 13 of the main tumblers, allowing the latter to swing to the limit of their forward movement and lock the bolt. 7

Upon inserting the key and turning it forwardly to unlock the bolt, the main tumblers are first swung backwardly by the key-bit,

bringing the narrow portions of their gates 12 in register with the bolt-stud 5. By the same movement of the key, the auxiliary tumbler 16 is swung backwardly to move its free end clear of the bolt-stud. By the continued rotation of the key, the bolt is fully retracted as usual, to unlock the door. During this movement of the bolt-its stud 5 engages the stud 22 of the auxiliary tumbler and slides the latter inwardly on the pivot pin 8 to the position shown in Fig. 2. Upon now turning the key backwardly far enough to release and withdraw it, the bolt is projected by its spring in the usual manner, and the auxiliary tumbler is shifted outwardly to its former position by the engagement of the key bit with its notch 21, bringing its stud 22 into the narrow portion of the main-tumbler gates 12, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby blocking the forward swingof said tumblers and preventing them from engaging behind the bolt stud and locking the bolt. By the same movement, the outer end or shoulder of the auxiliary tumbler is carried beyond the inner edge of the bolt-stud 5 and said shoulder cannot therefore engage behind said stud and lock the-bolt. The latter is thus free to slide inwardly. Upon again closing the door to automatically lock it, the bolt is pressed inwardly by engaging the striker-plate 2 and the auxiliary tumbler is shifted inwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2 by the stud 5 striking the stud 22, as above described. However, as there is now no key in the lock, the auxiliary tumbler is not again advanced, but remains in its inner position in which its stud occupies or stands opposite the enlargements 13 of the main tumbler gates, as shown in Fig. 1,permitting free forward movement of the main tumblers. It follows that the moment the bolt is again projected by its spring 7'to lock the closed door, its stud 5 is withdrawn from the gates of the main tumblers, allowing the free ends of the latter to swing behind the bolt stud and deadlocking the bolt. Simultaneously with this action, the free end of the depressed auxiliary tumbler engages behind the bolt-stud and aids in looking the bolt.

While effectually baffling attempts to pick the lock, this improvement accomplishes the desired result by exceedingly simple and inexpensive means, the only part added to the ordinaryparts of such a spring lock being the auxiliary tumbler.

While I haveherein shown the improvement as embodied in alock in which the tumblers are operated directly by a key, the invention is obviously applicable to looks of the type. in which they are indirectly operated by a knob or a'key through one or more intermediate elements.

I claim as my invention: 1 v 1. Ina lockof the character described, the combination of a bolt, a main tumbler, and an auxiliary tumbler shiftable lengthwise of the main tumbler and carrying means for engaging and holding the main tumbler in its inoperative position after it has been manually moved aside and the bolt has been retracted and released.

2. In a lock of thecharacter described, the combination of a bolt, a swinging main tumbler incapable of longitudinal movement on its pivot, and an auxiliary tumbler capable of a compound swinging and longitudinal movement and having means for holding the main tumbler in its inoperative position after it has been swung aside by a key and the bolt has been retracted and released by the key.

3. In a lock of the character described, the combination of a bolt having a locln'ng-stud, a main tumbler having a gate for said stud provided with a lateral enlargement, and an auxiliary tumbler movable both laterally and lengthwise of said main tumbler and having a stud arranged to occupy the narrow portion of said main-tumbler gate in one position of the auxiliary tumbler and to occupy the enlargement of said gate in another position of the auxiliary tumbler.

4. In a lock of the character described, the combination of a bolt having a locking-stud, a main tumbler having a gate for said stud provided with a lateral enlargement, and an auxiliary tumbler movable both laterally and lengthwise of said main tumbler, said auxiliary tumbler having a shifting-notch adapted to receive a key-bit and a stud arranged to occupy the narrow portion of said maintumbler gate in one position of the auxiliary tumbler and to occupy the enlargement of said gate in another position of the auxiliary tumbler.

5. In a lock of the character described, the combination of a bolt having a locking stud, a main tumblerhaving a gate for said stud provided with a lateral enlargement, a tumbler-pivot, and an auxiliary tumbler having alongitudinal slot engaging said pivot to permit a compound swinging and longitu- *dinal movement of the auxiliary tumbler relative'to said main tumbler, said auxiliary tumbler having a shifting-notch for a keybit and a stud adapted to be engaged by said bolt-stud and arranged to occupy the narrow portion of said main tumbler-gate when the auxiliary tumbler is shifted toward the front end. of the bolt and to occupy the enlargement of said gate when the auxiliary tumbler is shifted in the opposite direction.

6. In alock of the character described, the

combination of a bolt having a locking-stud,

a main tumbler having a gate for said stud providedwith a lateral enlargement, and an auxiliary tumbler movable both laterally and lengthwise of said main tumbler and having a gate for the bolt-stud and a stud arranged to occupy the narrow portion of said main tumbler-gate when the auxiliary tumbler is shifted toward the front end of the bolt and to occupy the enlargement of said gate when the auxiliary tumbler is shifted in the opposite direction.

.HERMAN L. PETERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing-the Commissioner 0! Patents, Y Q Washington, D. 0. 

